All American is inspired by the real life of professional football player Spencer Paysinger, and the lead character Spencer James is based on him.

The series was originally developed under the working title 'Spencer' and had a pilot ordered in January 2018 before being ordered to series in May 2018.

Creator April Blair stepped down as showrunner shortly before the series premiered in October 2018 due to personal reasons, and was replaced by co-executive producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll.

Lead actor Daniel Ezra is British, despite playing the American football star Spencer James.

Mike Boisseau was originally considered for the role of Khalil Edwards but dropped out of the project for creative reasons before Antonio J. Bell was cast.

The series proved to be a sleeper hit on Netflix, and the streaming deal with Warner Bros. generated revenue that helped boost the show's linear ratings and prevented its cancellation despite weak initial performance on The CW.

Filming for the series takes place in Los Angeles, California, with Thomas Jefferson High School in South Central Los Angeles used as the location for the fictional South Crenshaw High School.

The series spawned a spin-off, All American: Homecoming, which follows the character Simone Hicks after she moves to the historically black Bringston University in Atlanta.